Timer for indicating sequential order of service



R. WEST Feb. 14, 1956 TIMER FOR INDICATING SEQUENTIAL ORDER OF SERVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 6, 1953 R. WEST Feb. 14, 1956 TIMER FOR INDICATING SEQUENTIAL ORDER OF SERVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 6, 1953 INVENTOR. PoaEP? fl'sr TIMER FOR INDIQATING SEQUENTIAL ORDER OF SERVICE Robert West, Covington, Ky. Application November 6, 1953, Serial No. 390,621

1 Claim. (Cl. 340-423) My invention relates to a device for indicating the order in which service at a food counter should be made.

In particular my invention comprises a device which is fitted with means to indicate the order in which a customer should be served while seated at a station at a food counter beginning with the customer seated the greatest length of time.

It has been my experience in eating at restaurant lunch counters that often certain people are waited upon before others who have actually been seated at the counter for a longer time. It is difiicult to determine just the correct order in which customers seat themselves, especially in a restaurant having a great number of seats and at such times when people arrive and leave more frequently.

It is one of the principal objects of my invention, therefore, to provide a device which will indicate to the server the length of time relatively that a given customer has been awaiting service. This time is relative to the time other customers have been in the restaurant or at the service counter.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device which has means for indicating to the server by means of visual objects in slots the relative time that a certain seating space has been occupied.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device fitted with slots wherein an indicating member is drawn at a constant speed to a predetermined position.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for selectively causing one or more of a plurality of indicating members to complete a cycle.

Other objects and objects relating to details of construction and economy of operation will definitely appear from the detailed description to follow.

In the drawing I have illustrated in- Fig. l a top view of the indicating device with a portion broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the mechanism for operating the devices to actuate the indicators;

Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4;

In the drawings the same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views.

In general my invention comprises a casing having a series of tubes provided in the front portion thereof in which the indicating members are slidably positioned.

A switch mechanism is provided for actuating a series of solenoids which cause a pulley to be operated to cause the indicating member to be moved within its respective tube.

The operating mechanism consists of a motor supplied with a reduction unit, which actuates a constantly moving shaft which has a series of gears mounted thereon. The gears which are provided, one for each indicating member, are adapted to mesh with a gear connected to a pulley nited States Patent 0 2 when the arm carrying the pulley is moved to engaged position by operation of the solenoid mechanism.

Thus each of the indicating members may be lifted in the tube at a constant speed by means of the gear and pulley mechanism. When the server takes the customers order in the manner indicated by the preference position of the highest disc, the server opens a switch which returns the disc to its original position at the bottom of the tube, the customer having previously closed the switch upon being seated and causing the disc to rise.

Referring to the drawings, I show in Figure 2 a casing having side members 10 and 11 and a top, member 12, and a bottom member 13. Secured within the casing are a series of tubes 14 which are spaced apart and which are hollow and carry within their apertures an indicator such as a disc 15 (Fig.5).

The tubes may be of different sizes and may be of any quantity desired, although in the illustrated form of my invention I show 21 tubes which would be suificient for a service counter having 21 service positions. I illustrate a disc which is slidably suspended in a tube although other indicating devices may be employed.

In Figure l, I show a portion of the top member 12 broken away to illustrate an electric motor 16 which is connected to a shaft 17 more clearly illustrated in Figure 3.

In Figure 3 the electric motor 16 is a constant speed type and has an armature 18 to which is affixed a mechanism comparing a pair of sprockets 19 and 20 which carry a driving chain 21. The sprocket 20 is fixed to a shaft 17 which has affixed thereto a series of gears, such as 22, 23, 24 and 25, one of said gears being provided for each of the tubes 14. The shaft 17 rotates the gears atfixed thereto at a constant speed. The speed of this shaft may be varied by use of a gear reduction device of standard manufacture and commonly known in the trade.

I provide a pillar 26 having a shaft 27 rotatably mounted thereon to which is connected a plurality of pairs of arms 28 and 29. One pair of arms is provided for each of the tubes 14. At the extremity of each of the pairs of arms a shaft 30 is rotatably mounted and has secured thereto a gear and grooved wheel. These gears, such as 31, 32, 33 and 34, and grooved wheels such as 35, 36, 37 and 38 are movable in the arm to engaged position with gears such as 22, 23, 24 and 25.

In order to move the selective pair of arms I provide a battery of solenoids, such as solenoids 39, 40 and 41 which are mounted on a cross bar 42. Each of the solenoids has a plunger, such as 43, which connects with a cross member 44 mounted between the pair of arms for a respective tube. Upon actuation of the solenoid the arms are raised to cause the gear to mesh with its respective constantly operating gear to cause the respective grooved wheel to revolve.

To each of the grooved wheels 35, 36, 37 and 38 I afiix a wire such as 45 which has aflixed to its one end the indicating disc such as 15. The wire 45 is so positioned that it may move within its respective tube and move the disc with it. The disc is made of sufiicient mass that it will fall when the solenoid is disengaged to allow the arms to fall to their rest position.

In operation the solenoids are connected by means of leads to a switch mechanism provided at the serving positions (not shown).

Thus if a customer is seated at station 14 the server or customer actuates the solenoid and causes the disc in the tube to be elevated to indicate the relative time at which the customer came to be served. As soon as the order is taken the customer or the server opens the switch which causes the rocker arm to move the gear 31, 32, 33 or 34 out of mesh with its respective gear 22, 23, 24, or

25 permitting the free movement of their respective grooved wheels to permit the disc to fall to its rest position. After the disc has reached the top position the solenoid will be released and the disc will return to its original position.

Without further analysis, the foregoing detailed description will so fully and clearly disclose the invention that others may readily adapt it for other variations, by retaining one or more of the features which constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore I claim my invention broadly as indicated by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: An indicating device comprising a plurality of tubular members, a disc slidably secured within each of said tubular members, a wire connected to each of said discs, a grooved wheel and a gear afiixed to said groove wheel, said grooved wheel adapted to wind upon itself said wire when said wheel and gear are rotated, a shaft and pair of arms movably secured in said indicating device, said gear and said grooved wheel mounted on said shaft, a solenoid plunger connected to said pair of arms, a constantly revolving shaft having a plurality of gears thereon one for each of said pairs of arms, said gears when engaged with the gears on said pairs of arms selectively move one of said discs at a constant rate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,168,443 Johnson Aug. 8, 1939 2,368,761 Hogan Feb. 6, 1945 2,375,062 Zimmerman May 1, 1945 2,416,139 Babson Feb. 18, 1947 2,419,394 Erhard Apr. 22, 1947 2,520,198 Bucky Aug. 29, 1950 2,679,038 Cross et al May 18, 1954 

